Healthy Monteilh ready to roll

With the opening of fall camp eight days away, Keao Monteilh had one important thing left to do this offseason.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior safety married long-time girlfriend, Jessilee, yesterday in a small ceremony attended by family and close friends.

"My dad said you got two kids and you've got to be a good example and get married and settle down," Monteilh said. "It's time to put my life into order."

Monteilh will now focus on his final year as a Warrior. Hawaii's season kicks off in 35 days at Florida and Monteilh will be a part of what he calls "one of the best defenses UH has ever had" at safety.

It's been an extremely long offseason for the Saint Louis graduate. A shoulder injury ended his junior year early, forcing him to miss the biggest stretch run of games in UH history.

He sat on the bench, arm in a sling, as fans rushed the field to celebrate Hawaii's WAC championship after beating Boise State.

He stood on the sideline as cornerback Ryan Mouton intercepted a pass in the end zone to cap a perfect regular season against Washington.

And he could only watch without his pads on as more than 74,000 people packed the Superdome on New Year's Day for the biggest game in UH football history.

As much as Keao Monteilh cheered on his teammates and gave them support, it ripped at his heart that he couldn't play.

"It was so depressing to see everyone out there," Monteilh said. "I can't just watch. I have to play. I couldn't do anything about it."

An integral part of UH's first eight wins as the starting free safety, Monteilh missed the rest of the 2007 season after suffering a broken scapula against New Mexico State.

Yes, a broken scapula.

"I had never heard of it," Monteilh said. "I was like you mean a spatula? The doctor's laughing, 'No, you got a broken scapula.' I still don't know what it is. I thought it was just a stinger."

The shoulder injury came at a time Hawaii was heading into its stretch run of games against the league's top teams. Every week as Hawaii got closer to an undefeated regular season, Monteilh would itch more and more to get back on the field, even if his shoulder was still hurt.

"It was tough for him, he always was telling me he like play," teammate Fale Laeli said. "You can tell he was hurt. He wanted to be playing in the Sugar Bowl."

It was also tough for Laeli to watch. The two played together at Saint Louis and grew to be good friends. They were the same year in high school and both planned on going to the mainland for college before eventually settling on Hawaii.

"(At Saint Louis) me and Keao, we always told each other we were going to leave (Hawaii)," Laeli said. "Things just turned different and we came to UH."

Encouraged by former UH player Eddie Klaneski, who was a coach at Saint Louis, they arrived at UH with the belief they could play right away.

"(Klaneski) always said I had a good chance to play next year and I always took that strong and thought maybe I could play," Monteilh said. "At first I was like 'Ah whatever, that's what he's going to tell me.' But he kept telling me that after the season and during basketball season and during track season and I started to believe."

From a scrawny walk-on to a leader on a defense that could be one of UH's greatest ever, Monteilh battled his way to the top of the depth chart, first at cornerback, and now at safety.

Once almost too skinny to play Pop Warner football at age 11, Monteilh says he's close to 200 pounds after arriving at UH at around 170.

The extra weight and increased speed give Monteilh a confidence that has spread its way to the entire defensive unit.

"Defense-wise, our attitude is we're going to line up and we're going to beat you," Monteilh said. "No matter what you throw at us, that is how we think. We've got the attitude that we're going to take you 1-on-1."

Monteilh and senior Desmond Thomas are the top two safeties entering camp, but have plenty of competition behind them.

Dane Porlas returns as one of the top backups and senior Erik Robinson and junior Viliami Nauahi will also contend for playing time. Sophomore's Kenny Estes and Spencer Smith are in the mix, as well as Oregon State transfer Mana Silva.

"We're going to have a great team because we have so many guys," Monteilh said. "Some people kind of say, you know, I'm battling positions with you, I'm not going to help you out. Over here is nothing like that. Everyone helps everyone out and may the best man win. A battle is a battle and we just push each other harder."

That battle begins in a week, but for now, Monteilh will spend the final days before camp enjoying life as a husband in addition to taking care of his two kids.

As another Warrior joining the fraternity of married men on the team, he expects to get some friendly jokes thrown his way at camp.

At least one teammate is already getting in on the fun.

"I'm telling you man, he's going to be wearing the smallest handcuffs in the world," Laeli said.

WAC preseason capsules

A look at Western Athletic Conference football heading into the 2008 season. The teams are listed in predicted order of finish by Star-Bulletin writer Dave Reardon, who was at the conference media preview in Salt Lake City last week.

1. Fresno State

Last year: 9-4 (6-2 WAC, 3rd, beat Georgia Tech in Humanitarian Bowl, 40-28)
Returning starters/lettermen: 16/51
Coach: Pat Hill (12th season, 85-55)
Marquee player: QB Tom Brandstater (15-5 TD-INT, MVP of Humanitarian Bowl)
Big games: at Rutgers (Sept. 1), Wisconsin (Sept. 13), at UCLA (Sept. 27), Hawaii (Oct. 4), at San Jose State (Nov. 21), at Boise State (Nov. 28)
Quick take: A typical Bulldogs schedule, loaded with high-profile nonconference dates. Early success could propel them into rankings. The conference's most talented team must avoid losing game-to-game focus over the long haul if it is to win the WAC. RBs Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller pack a potent 1-2 punch. TE Bear Pascoe might be the best at his position in the nation. Both lines are deep and experienced, with DT Jon Monga a top playmaker and gap plugger. Fresno State closed 2007 with three wins in a row.

2. Hawaii

Last year: 12-1 (8-0 WAC, 1st), lost to Georgia in Sugar Bowl, 41-10, 19th in AP poll, 17th in coaches)
Returning starters/lettermen: 12/59
Coach: Greg McMackin (1st season)
Marquee player: LB Solomon Elimimian (WAC defensive preseason POY enters season with 313 career tackles)
Big games: at Florida (Aug. 30), at Oregon State (Sept. 13), at Fresno State (Oct. 4), at Boise State (Oct. 17), Washington State (Nov. 29), Cincinnati (Dec. 6)
Quick take: Very tough schedule during transition season on offense puts pressure on one of the potentially best defenses in team history to carry heavy load, especially early. LB Adam Leonard was a close second to Elimimian in POY voting. QB situation remains unresolved headed into camp, as replacement to Colt Brennan (3rd in Heisman voting) is sought and the starting receivers of last fall are all gone. C John Estes is a major key to the offense and Warriors can't afford for him to go down. Former defensive coordinator McMackin impressed in his first preseason with energy and organization.

3. Boise State

Last year: 10-3 (7-1 WAC, 2nd), lost to East Carolina in Hawaii Bowl, 41-38Returning starters/lettermen: 12/45Coach: Chris Petersen (3rd season, 23-3) Marquee player: RB Ian Johnson (WAC offensive preseason POY leads NCAA active lists in rushing, touchdowns and all-purpose running) Big games: at Oregon (Sept. 20), Hawaii (Oct. 17), Fresno State (Nov. 28) Quick take: The Broncos lost LT Ryan Clady and CB Orlando Scandrick a year early to the NFL Draft. Combined with plenty of other holes due to expended eligibility of stalwarts, the Broncos' traditional ability to reload will be severely tested. Bush Hamdan and Kellen Moore lead a wide-open race to replace QB Taylor Tharp. The offensive line is almost completely rebuilding. WR Jeremy Childs' suspension will be addressed when camp starts. Johnson, whose health is a major key, will also return kicks.

4. Nevada

Last year: 6-7 (4-4 WAC, T4th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 34/13
Coach: Chris Ault(24th season, 191-85-1)
Marquee player: RB Luke Lippincott (Led WAC with 1,420 rushing yards in 2007)
Big games: Texas Tech (Sept. 6), at Missouri (Sept. 13), at UNLV (Sept. 27), at Hawaii (Oct. 25), at Fresno State (Nov. 7), Boise State (Nov. 22)
Quick take: Nevada is loaded with offensive weapons, starting with Lippincott and QB Colin Kaepernick, the 2007 WAC freshman of the year. Nick Graziano, the former starter at QB, is back from injury and Ault has the good problem of trying to figure a way to use both. Receivers Mike McCoy and Marko Mitchell return as big playmakers. DL Mundrae Clifton and LB Joshua Mauga expected to lead the defense. Depth on both lines a major concern.

5. San Jose State

Last year: 5-7 (4-4 WAC, T4th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 43/13
Coach: Dick Tomey (28th season, 175-129-7 overall/4th season, 17-19 at SJSU)
Marquee player: WR Kevin Jurovich (9th nationally in receiving yards with 1,183 in 2007)
Big games: at Nebraska (Sept. 6), at Stanford (Sept. 20), at Hawaii (Sept. 27), Boise State (Oct. 24), Fresno State (Nov. 21)
Quick take: Extremely experienced team on defense is two-deep at both tackle spots with Jarron Gilbert leading the way up front. All-American Dwight Lowery is done, but CB Christopher Owens is also outstanding with 12 career interceptions second in the nation. Return of RB Yonus Davis, who got a sixth year of eligibility, boosts the offense. Key to season could be if QB Miles Eden can adequately replace three-year starter Adam Tafralis. Tomey, who had the defense go hard on the QB candidates in the spring, likes Eden's toughness.

6. Louisiana Tech

Last year: 5-7 (4-4 WAC, T4th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 14/41
Coach: Derek Dooley (2nd season, 5-7)
Marquee player: RB Patrick Jackson (accounted for 1,649 all-purpose yards in 2007)
Big games: Mississippi State (Aug. 30), at Kansas (Sept. 6), at Boise State (Oct. 1), at Hawaii (Oct. 11), Fresno State (Nov. 1)
Quick take: FS Antonio Baker and LB Quin Harris were both in on at least 100 tackles last year, but Dooley is concerned about the front four, where three starters must be replaced. CB Weldon Brown is another defensive stalwart. At QB, sophomore Ross Jenkins emerged ahead of senior Taylor Bennett, a traditional dropback passer who transferred from Georgia Tech when Paul Johnson brought the spread option to Atlanta. Dooley is also now the athletic director.

7. New Mexico State

Last year: 4-9 (1-7 WAC, 8th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 45/16
Coach: Hal Mumme (18th season, 105-93-1 overall/4th, 8-29 at NMSU)
Marquee player: QB Chase Holbrook (Runner-up in WAC preseason offensive POY voting completed 70.2 percent of his 2007 passes and was fifth nationally in yardage)
Big games: at Nebraska (Sept. 13), at UTEP (Sept. 20), New Mexico (Sept. 27), Boise State (Nov. 1), Hawaii (Nov. 8), at Fresno State (Nov. 15)
Quick take: WR Chris Williams had another outstanding year despite missing five games, with 11 touchdowns. A.J. Harris is another big-time pass catcher. The OL has another year of experience, which should help Holbrook, who was sacked for losses of 143 yards last year. With the retirement of Woody Widenhofer, new DC Joe Lee Dunn brings in a 3-3-5 scheme that Mumme feels fits the Aggies' personnel. LB La'auli Fonoti from Kahuku (63 tackles in 2007) will be counted on heavily.

8. Idaho

Last year: 1-11 (0-8 WAC, 8th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 18/43
Coach: Robb Akey(2nd season, 1-11)
Marquee player: RB Deonte' Jackson (Rushed for 1,175 yards as a freshman despite a high ankle sprain) Big games: at Arizona (Aug. 30), Idaho State (Sept. 6), at Fresno State (Oct. 11), Boise State (Nov. 15), at Hawaii (Nov. 22)
Quick take: Vandals have not had winning season since 1999. C Adam Korby has started 35 consecutive games and is key to hoped improvement on offense. Sophomores Nathan Enderle and Quin Ashley are competing to start at QB. Shiloh Keo was team MVP last fall, earning second-team All-WAC honors at S and PR.

9. Utah State

Last year: 2-10 (2-6 WAC, 7th)
Returning starters/lettermen: 16/39
Coach: Brent Guy (4th season, 6-29)
Marquee player: LB Jake Hutton (led Aggies with 102 tackles in 2007)
Big games: at Oregon (Sept. 6), Utah (Sept. 13), BYU (Oct. 3), Fresno State (Oct. 25), Hawaii (Nov. 1), at Boise State (Nov. 8)
Quick take: Guy saw progress last year with six fourth-quarter leads, but the Aggies closed out just two wins. The positive is the victories came at the end of the season. QB Sean Setzer is among three candidates to start. TE Rob Myers averaged most yards per catch nationally for his position (15.2). RB Derrvin Speight, or someone, must emerge as a solid threat for the Aggies to improve.